TED talks come to Lynn Valley!

Well, you could live-stream next week's TED conference from your home computer, but it will cost you $600. (Of course, that beats the $7,500 in-person ticket price.) Fortunately, there's a third option for those of us who want to take part in the excitement of Vancouver's first-ever TED talks, but also pay the mortgage - free front-row seats at the local library!In honour of TED's 30th anniversary year, organizers are allowing schools, libraries and universities to live-stream the short talks, given by leading-edge thinkers and creators on a wide range of topics. Many people have already viewed at least a few TED talks online, which are archived and freely available on their website, or on Netflix. Some of them, such as Sir Ken Robinson's talk "How Schools Kill Creativity," achieve a viral popularity - that presentation in particular has been viewed over 25 million times.TED will be the "talk" of the town next week, so take advantage of the opportunity to pop into the library and join the buzz. Public sessions at the Lynn Valley library are as follows:

Monday, March 17

6 p.m. - 7:45 p.m., LV Community RoomSession 1: Lift OffNicholas Negroponte - Tech visionary Chris Hadfield - Astronaut Elizabeth Gilbert - Writer The Education Reformer - Educator Mark Ronson - Music Producer and DJ

Tuesday, March 18

9 a.m. - 10:15 a.m., Lynn Valley Program Room Session 2: Retrospect Bran Ferren - Technology designer Marc Kushner - Architect Yoruba Richen - Documentary filmmaker

Wednesday, March 19

Lynn Valley Program Room9 - 10:10 a.m. Session 5: UsNancy Kanwisher - Brain researcher Rob Knight - Microbial ecologist Stephen Friend - Open-science advocate Jon Mooallem - Writer Geena Rocero - Model and activist David Chalmers - Philosopher11 a.m. - 12:45pm Session 6: WiredCharlie Rose - Conversationalist Margaret Gould Stewart - User experience master Del Harvey - Security maven Chris Kluwe - Punter and author Jeremy Kasdin - Planet finder Avi Reichental - 3D printer Hugh Herr - Prostheticist2 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. All-Stars Session 3: Where Are We Now?Salman Khan - Educator Tim Berners-Lee - Inventor Amy Cuddy - Social Psychologist Allan Savory - Grassland ecosystem pioneer Bjorn Lomborg - Global prioritizer Amanda Palmer - Musician, blogger Clay Shirky - Social Media Theorist Lawrence Lessig - Legal activist Bryan Stevenson - Public-interest lawyer 3:45 - 5 p.m. All-Stars Session 4: I Heart DesignJohn Maeda - Artist Stefan Sagmeister - Graphic designer Moshe Safdie - Architect Sarah Kay - Poet Pattie Maes - Researcher Juan Enriquez - Futurist Barry Schwartz - Psychologist JR - Street artist Aimee Mullins - Athlete and actorTime: 6 - 7:45 p.m. Session 7: Why?Wendy Chung - Geneticist Helder Guimarães - Magician Allan Adams - Theoretical physicist Jason Webley - Musician Jim Holt - Writer and philosopher

Thursday, March 20

LOCATION: Lynn Valley Program Room9 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Session 8: HackedMarco Tempest - Techno-illusionist Keren Elazari - Cybersecurity expert David Epstein - Sports science reporter Ed Yong - Science writer Ray Kurzweil - Inventor, futurist 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. Session 9: SignalsSara Lewis - Firefly specialist Deborah Gordon - Ecologist Randall Munroe - Cartoonist Andrew Connolly - Astronomer Will Marshall - Space scientist Louie Schwartzberg - Filmmaker2:30 - 4 p.m. All-Stars Session 5: The Future is OursStanley McChrystal - Military leader Dan Dennett - Philosopher, cognitive scientist Susan Cain - Quiet revolutionary Rodney Brooks - Roboticist Elizabeth Pisani - Epidemiologist Michael Shermer - Skeptic Jimmy Wales - Founder of Wikipedia John Hunter - Educator Helen Fisher - Anthropologist; expert on love Martin Rees - Astrophysicist Steven Johnson - Writer Ken Robinson - Author/educator